60 NEBRASKAland • OCTOBER 2017
Opening More Fields and Waters
Even more public hunting land is available this season.
By Julie Geiser
W
ith the pheasant season
opener just around the
corner, many upland bird
hunters are looking for
places to hunt all across
Nebraska. But in a state that is 97
percent privately owned, obtaining
landowner permission to hunt, trap or
fish on private land can be challenging.
Fortunately, those taking to the fields
this season will find over 242,000
acres open to public hunting through
the Commission's Open Fields and
Waters Program – a 10 percent increase
compared to last year.
Through OFW, Game and Parks
biologists work with hundreds of
private landowners each year, offering
Increasing public hunting access within the eight "Focus on Pheasant" and "Pheasant
Opportunity Areas" is one of the top priorities identified in the Commission's Berggren
Plan – a five-year initiative aimed at improving the pheasant hunting experience in
Nebraska.
A pointer retrieves a pheasant from an OFW area west of McCook in Red Willow County.
MAP
BY
JOHN
LAUX
PHOTO
BY
JULIE
GEISER